Ocean Gobbles Up Chunk Of Big Sur Highway After Major Storm

Parts of a California highway located next to the Big Sur coast were destroyed from this week’s storm, the California Highway Patrol in Monterey said Friday.

The California Highway Patrol’s Monterey office posted pictures on Facebook depicting mud and rubble on the highway located near Rat Creek, according to Newsweek. “Highway 1 south of Big Sur near Big Creek Bridge” remains closed, according to a Friday afternoon Facebook post from the California Department of Transportation.

“State Route 1 continues to be heavily impacted by the aftereffects of this week’s storm. Slides have been reported in both San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties along SR-1,” the state patrol’s Facebook post said.

“The northern closure of SR-1 is at MPM 42 (Fullers Lookout). Please continue to remain clear of the area so we can ensure the safety of our CALTRANS work crews and other emergency crews as they try to make our roadways safe,” the Facebook post said.

The National Weather Service said moisture from an atmospheric river, a trail of air in the atmosphere carrying large amounts of water vapor, strengthened the storm, which would greatly affect the Big Sur coastline, according to Newsweek. The service advised about potential places of “life-threatening flooding and debris flows,” which were impacted from downpours and wildfire burn scars.

“Our local in-house model is showing extensive storm totals in the Big Sur hills in excess of 20 inches with a bullseye amount in excess of 31 inches,” the weather service said, according to Newsweek.

The National Weather Service tweeted Friday morning that a storm in the state will proceed to the Intermountain West on Friday, causing snowfall. The National Weather Service also said the storm is anticipated to hit the Midwest on Saturday, bringing snow “from the Corn Belt to the OH Valley” and could possibly turn into a Nor’easter.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection directed citizens earlier this week in certain zones of Santa Cruz County and San Mateo County to evacuate. The reason for the evacuation orders was the large possibility of “debris flow,” according to the evacuation orders.

The California Department of Transportation and local law enforcement have teamed up to restrict traveling to the Big Sur and to permit people to evacuate in the safest way, according to Newsweek. Signs and barriers telling people about the closings were posted.

The California Highway Patrol directed the Daily Caller News Foundation to their Monterey office, who didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.